A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of packaging and, in particular, to packaging for pourable food and other items.
B. Prior Art
A wide range of pourable products, such as candies, cereals, laundry soaps, and many other products, are dispensed in cardboard boxes. To access the contents, a user must generally open the top of the box. Sometimes the contents are held in a wax paper bag inside the box, and the bag must be opened as well. To store the contents, the user closes the bag and then closes the box.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,373 discloses a novel box for conveniently storing and dispensing pourable items. The box has a back wall and a slide connected to the back wall. The slide has a slide opening and two side tabs extending from the slide. A front wall with an opening is connected to the back wall. The box also has an interior supporting wall having first and second side slits. The slide is disposed within the box, with each of the tabs being inserted into a corresponding one of the slits. The box has an open position in which the openings are aligned and in which the contents of the box may be poured out. The box also has a closed position for storing the contents.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a box for conveniently storing and dispensing pourable materials has a front wall having a first and a second opening and an inside surface. The box also has a back wall, a first and a second side wall, a bottom flap and a first and a second top flap. A first slide and a second slide are in contact with the inside surface of the front wall, each of said slides having an opening. The front wall, the back wall, the first and second side walls, and the top and bottom flaps are interconnected so as to form a box. The first slide is movable between an open position in which it substantially aligns with the first front wall opening, and a closed position in which it is entirely out of alignment with the first front wall opening. The second slide moves independently from the first slide. The second slide is movable between an open position in which the second slide opening substantially aligns with the second front wall opening, and a closed position in which the second slide opening is entirely out of alignment with the second front wall opening.
In particular embodiments, the box may have a supporting wall disposed adjacent to at least a portion of the inside surface of the front wall. The supporting wall may have an opening that is aligned with one of the front wall openings. At least one of the slides may be disposed in between the front wall and the supporting wall.
The box may also have a first compartment and a second compartment. The first compartment may be opened when the first slide is in the open position. The second compartment may be opened when the second slide is in the open position. An interior wall may separate the first compartment from the second compartment. The box may further comprise a front compartment wall that is disposed adjacent to a portion of the inside surface of the front wall, the front compartment wall having an opening that is aligned with one of the front wall openings. The front compartment wall may extend across the width of one of the compartments.
The box may have a top opening. A top inner flap may extend across the top opening. The top inner flap may consist of a single flap member, or may be formed from two or more members. The two or more members may be secured together to form a single top inner flap.
The box may have a stop for defining the position of at least one of said slides in the open position of said at least one slide. The box may have a first stop for defining the position of the first slide in the open position of the first slide. The box may also have a second stop for defining the position of the second slide in the open position of the second slide.
The openings in the slides may be substantially the same shape as the openings in the front wall. Alternatively, the slide openings may be one shape and the openings in the front wall another shape, if desired. The top flaps are connected to the back wall in an articulated manner, such that the user may lift the top flaps to slide the slides between the open and closed positions.
Embodiments of boxes according to the present invention may incorporate an inner liner. In one embodiment, an inner liner resides within the box. The inner liner may include a removable portion that is adjacent to a front wall opening in the box. To initially access the contents of the inner liner, the user moves the slide into the open position. The user then removes the removable portion of the inner liner, and may then pour contents of the inner liner out of the box.
In a multiple-compartment box, there may be more than one inner liner. For example, one inner liner may be a bag in one compartment, while another inner liner may be a separate bag in another compartment of the box. As a further alternative, the box itself may not have multiple compartments but, instead, a plurality of different bags inside of the box may serve to separate different products that are stored within the same box.
Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from a review of the Detailed Description below, from the drawings, and from the claims.